I think we discussed this new placement on another thread.. but yes I agree, it will lower CTR especially if we cannot remove te border AND the google logo is so visible.. you can't hide the fact that it's an ad..
COOL... does that say I can make $34,000 without owning a website by becoming a Google affiliate ? Dam those misleading images. lol
Yes I believe it's definitely going to affect CTR. But... we're just lowly publishers... what can we do!
that is clearly the point, they want people to know it is an ad, that way the clickers won't be teens without any money. To be honest it is a good thing. Here is why: Scenario 1: (ads are "hidden" in the site) People that are not willing to spend a penny click the ads, they see that the site wants a membership or is selling something, they leave. Advertiser wasted $.50, that happens enough the advertiser moves on. Result: PPC over time loses its value Scenario 2: (ads are clearly labeled) Only people with the money to buy things will click ads, revenue for advertisers is up, the money is then put back into the advertising campaign or pocketed. PPC is as strong as ever, sure MFA sites won't exist (that's a big +), it will be harder for low traffic sites to make $.05 a month, those that get quality traffic with visitors that have money (bye bye proxies) wil flourish Result: CPC will go way up, quality sites will double profit, the quality of the internet will be effectively doubled.
Scenario 3: (ads still clearly labeled) People grow "ad blind" and stop clicking on these ads. The advertiser does not get the clicks they need and begin to lose sales because their are no visitors to convert any sales. Advertiser pulls his Adwords account and moves to the competition.
Ads are going to be the same as links, people will click on them if that is what they are looking for (make sure you have a good ad desc. and anchor)
It will definitely lower CTR. But I think Google just wants quality clicks on their ads. This is good for advertisers though.
Google want people to associate the ads to them so that people know they are trusted links. Its a branding exercise really.... they are branding the ads to give the user the impression that the ads are approved by Google and therefore quality. It does have its advantages, mainly for the advertiser obviously.
I think it will lower the CTR but the ads might pay more since they should be legitimate clicks and not accidents.